Floor treating machine



1967 F. K. STORM, JR, ETAL 3,348,254

FLOOR TREATING MACHINE Filed Dec. 14, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 me/aaE A. 541/45) Get. 24,, 1%; F. K. STORM, JR, ETAL FLOOR TREATING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 14, 1965 $M/LEY DE/DGE United States Patent 3,348,254 FLOOR TREATING MACHINE Frederick K. Storm, Jr., Glendale, and Eldridge H. Smiley, Rosemead, Calif, assignors, by mesne assignments, to Emd'eko Distributing, Inc., Salt Lake City, Utah, a corporation of Utah Filed Dec. 14, 1965, Ser. No. 513,693 2 Claims. (Cl. -49) This invention relates to a floor treating machine and more particularly to a floor polishing and carpet cleaning machine embodying a novel construction for achieving high performance, ease of handling and maneuverability, and virtually vibration free operation.

Prior proposed floor polishing machines have included a polishing head freely rotatable about an axis offset from a motor driving axis so as to impart an orbital motion of the polishing head about the motor axis. Such prior proposed devices employing such an orbital action have attempted'to achieve a low center of gravity of the moving parts of the floor polishing machine; such prior ICC Another object of the invention is to disclose and provide a floor treating machine wherein a compact low or close to work surface arrangement of counterbalance means and brush carrier means is provided, wherein the parts to counterbalance are of relatively light weight, and wherein the brush carrier means encloses and protects a bearing means which freely rotatably mounts the carrier proposed machines are shown in Patents 2,967,315,

2,023,588, 2,942,384, and 233,067.

While such prior proposed floor polishing machines were generally satisfactory, their construction and operation included some disadvantages. For example, one prior proposed device was designed so that the machine was in balance when contacting one floor surface and out of balance when out of contact with the floor surface or in contact with different types of floor surfaces. In addition, some of the machines were subject to excessive bearing wear and deterioration because of liquids penetrating various fittings which were exposed at the bottom of the rotating polishing head. In addition, the prior proposed devices sometimes included projecting elements on the bottom surface of the polishing head which would rip, tear, pull or abrade a carpet surface or other surface when a brush element with short bristles was used.

The present invention contemplates a floor treating machine for use as a floor polishing machine as well as a carpet cleaning machine wherein disadvantages of the prior proposed devices are obviated or reduced to a minimum. The present invention contemplates a floor treating machine in which the weight relationship of the several component parts is so arranged that the machine will be virtually vibration free and not noticeably out of balance regardless of the type of surface on which it is employed, and whether it is in contact or out of contact with a surface. Moreover, the present invention contemplates a machine in which the orbitally moving parts are of relatively light weight and-in which a minimum number of parts are employed.

The primary object of the present invention therefore is to disclose and provide a floor treating machine of novel construction and operation.

An object of the present invention is to disclose and provide a floor treating machine which is virtually vibration free in various types of operating environment.

Another object of the invention is to disclose and provide a floor treating machine in which an orbital action is imparted to the brush means and wherein the orbitally moving parts are of relatively light weight.

A further object of the invention is to disclose and provide a floor treating machine in which the orbitally moving parts are counterbalanced for smooth, effective operation.

A still further object of the invention is to disclose and provide a floor treating machine in which the mass and weight of the non-rotating parts is so related to the mass and weight of the driven moving parts that the machine is easily maneuverable nad performs effective work on a variety of different types of surfaces to be cleaned;

means in eccentric relation to the drive shaft axis.

These and many other objects will be readily apparent from the following description of the drawings in which an exemplary embodiment of the invention is shown.

In the drawings: FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a floor treating machine embdoying this invention, the handle being only partially shown.

FIG. 2 is a front view taken from the left of FIG. 1 of the machine shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a top view of FIG. 1. 7

FIG. 4 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken in the plane indicated by line IV-IV of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a transverse horizontal sectional view taken in the plane indicated by line VV of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary enlarged sectional view taken in the vertical plane indicated by line VIVI of FIG; 4.

A floor treating machinegenerally indicated at 10 embodying the present invention may include a hollow hous ing means 11 supporting therewithin a motor means 12 from which may be supported a brush ring means 13 for orbital motion about the axis of the motor means as hereinafter more particularly described. A handle means 14 is pivotally connected to housing means 11 and is adjustably positionable. Handle means 14 may carry suitable controls for the floor treating machine in well known manner. It will be understood that the floor treating machine 10 may be equipped with different types of brush ring means 13 depending upon the surface to be treated. Such surfaces may include various types of floor coverings such as linoleum, tile, rubber, plastic, wood, as well as carpet, rug or other like surfaces.

The housing means 11 may be of hat-like configuration including a hollow bonnet portion 16 smoothly merging with an outwardly and downwardly directed flange portion 17 providing a peripheral depending wall section 18 upon which may bemounted in suitable manner a protective rubber-likegasket 19. The bottom edge 20 of peripheral section 18 defines a planar opening 21 which leads to a chamber 22 formed by bonnet portion 16. Chamber 22 may be vented at the top by concentric arcuate openings 24 and 25. The housing means 11 preferably is relatively heavy and may be madeof metal which is capable of being molded and cast.

Within chamber 22 motor means 12 may be suitably mounted as by sidewardly extending top motor lugs 27 secured by screw bolts 28 to downwardly extending integral bosses 29 formed on the internal surface of the top wall of bonnet portion 16. In this example,'rnotor means 12 may be any suitable low horsepower motor having desired characteristics and adapted to be positioned with the axis of the motor in vertical position. Motor means 12 may include a driven motor shaft end 31 having an axis coincident with the axis of the motor means. The shaft end 31 may be threaded and extends below the plane of opening 21 as defined by bottom edges 20 of wall section 18. Motor means 12. maybe suitably connected by electriccord or wire to control means (not shown) on the handle means and to a source of electric power for operation. i

The present invention is particularly directed to the manner in which brush ring means 13 is supported from the motor means 12 and is actuated thereby. In this example a motor driven mass is mounted on shaft end 31 by means including a metal plug means 32 provided with a threaded bore 33 for threaded securement to shaft end 31. Bore 33 is in spaced relation to axis E of plug means 32, such axis B being spaced from axis S of shaft end 31 a selected distance depending upon the magnitude of orbital movement desired. Plug means 32 may be provided with a bottom annular lip 34 which may support an inner race of a bearing means 35, said bearing means 35 being coaxial with axis E. In this example, bearing means 35 may comprise a ball bearing. Preferably bearing means 35 is located with the resultant bearing forces acting in approximately the plane of opening 21.

Secured to and above plug means 32 may be fly wheel means including a circular flat fly wheel disc 37 secured by spaced screw bolts 38 to plug means 32. A spacer member 39 between disc 37 and plug means 32 extends over the top edge face of the inner race of bearing means 35 to retain the inner race of the bearing means. Fly wheel disc 37 rotates about shaft axis S and has a central opening 40 coaxial with and receiving shaft end 31. The diameter of fly wheel disc 37 may be approximately that of the inner diameter of bonnet portion 16 and may be as large as can be accommodated by brush carrier means 45.

Adjacent the peripheral margin of fly wheel disc 37 may be arranged and secured a vertical stack of counterbalance discs 42 of relatively small diameter and of se-' lected thickness and weight. The stack of discs 42 are secured to the peripheral margin by a rivet or pin 43 whose axis is coaxial with the axis of the stacked discs 42 and lies in a diametrical plane D defined by the shaft and eccentric axes S and E. In this example a plurality of discs are positioned below fly wheel disc 37 and a single disc 42 is positioned above fly wheel disc 37. Depending upon the weight to be counterbalanced by the counterbalance discs 42, one or more of such discs 42 may be employed and one or more of such discs may be disposed either above or below the fly wheel disc 37.

Brush carrier means generally indicated at 45 may be freely rotatably mounted by being rigidly attached to the outer race of bearing means 35 as described below. In this example brush carrier means 45 may include a circular bottom wall 46 with an integral upstanding and slightly outwardly flared peripheral wall 47 which terminates in a radially outwardly extending annular lip 48. Integral with bottom wall 46 may be an annular boss 49 serving to surrounding and seat as at 50 the outer race of bearing means 35. Annular boss 49 provides a sufiicient section of material for receiving screw bolts 51 which extend through bores in said boss 49 for threaded engagement with an annular bearing cap 52 which serves to retain the top edge face of the outer race of the bearing means 35.

Brush carrier means 45 is preferably made of a light weight plastic material such as a nylon material which has a low coefficient of friction. Bottom wall 46 presents a smooth virtually uninterrupted surface 53, the only interruption occurring at the countersunk holes for screw bolts 51, the heads of said screw bolts being slightly recessed within the countersunk holes or flush with the surface of the bottom wall 46. The peripheral wall 47 provides an external slightly outwardly flared surface over which a brush ring means 13 may be pressed.

Brush ring means 13 may comprise an annular body member 55 of suitable well known material and may carry a plurality of circularly arranged tufts 56 of brush bristles of suitable synthetic or natural fiber material. In this example the bristles are indicated as flaring outwardly from the brush ring and the diameter of the bristles at floor contact is approximately at least as great as twice the distance from the eccentric axis to the edge of gasket 19 when the eccentric axis is in a position (which is closest to the gasket 19) in orbit of axis E about the shaft axis S.

The annular body member 55 may be retained on brush carrier means 45 by a plurality of circumferentially spaced vertically extending embossments or ridges 56 extending from lip 48 downwardly to terminate at a point spaced from the bottom of the peripheral wall 47. Thus the annular body member 55 may be pressed onto peripheral wall 47 and is frictionally held thereon by spaced embossment ribs 56.

The brush carrier means 45 together with the bearing retainer cap 52 is relatively light weight as compared with the cast metal parts of the housing, motor, etc. The material of the annular body member 55 may also be relatively light weight.

Handle means 14 for machine 10 may comprise a suitable handle member 60 having its lower end received within a socket 61 integrally formed on a yoke member 62 having ends of yoke legs 63 received within slots 64 provided in the flange portion 17 of the housing means. Transverse member 65 which carries socket 61 may have a bottom surface 66 provided with serrations and curved in suitable manner so as to facilitate comfortable positioning of a hand beneath the transverse member 65 when lifting the machine.

Handle 60 may be adjustably positioned between a substantially vertical position as indicated by phantom lines at 67 in FIG. 6 and a low or almost horizontal position. The end of each yoke leg 63 is provided with a pair of contiguous angularly related (about flat faces 68 and 69 beneath a hub 70 which receives a pivot bolt 71 carried by a depending internal lu'g. 72 integral with flange portion 17. Pivot bolt 71 is held in proper position by a saddle member 73 secured by a pair of screw bolts 74 to lug 72, said saddle member having a central bearing portion 75 retaining pivot bolt 71in desired position. Mounted on flange portion 17 and secured thereto by a pair of spaced screw bolts 76 may be a leaf spring 77 which extends beneath the hub 70 for selective engagement with the surface flats 68 and 69. Thus it will be apparent that when the 'handle 60 is moved to substantially vertical position, flat 68 will engage the free end of plate spring 77 and will retain the handle in such vertical position. When the handle is moved into operating position, that is a location between the flatted surfaces 68, 69, the spring acts upon a slightly rounded portion of the hub ,70 between the surfaces 68 and 69 as indicated at 78 and the handle may be readily moved up or down between terminal positions. When the flat surface 69 is in contact with the free end of spring 77, the handle may be retained in substantially horizontal position. Thus, handle means 14 is readily adjusted to any position from horizontal to vertical in accordance with the desires of the operator.

In operation of the floor treating machine 10 described above, rotation of shaft end 31 will produce rotation of fly wheel disc 37 and plug means 32. Axis E of plug means 32 will turn around axis S and freely rotatable brush carrier means may turnabout axis E. When bristles 56 are in contact with a surface 'to be treated, it will be readily apparent that as shaft 31 is driven the brush carrier means 45 will be caused to orbit-its eccentric axis E about the shaft axis of the shaft end. Thus a rotating and rubbing action is im parted to the brush means.

The mass which rotates about bearing 35 is of relatively light Weight with respect to the mass rotatively driven on the end of shaft 31 and including the bearing plug 32, fly wheel disc 35 and counterbalance discs 42. Thus the selected weight or the number of counterbalanced discs 42 used for counterbalancing the moving mass at the end of shaft end 31 will be of lesser magnitude than if the brush carrier means were of heavy metal. Since housing means 11 and motor means 12 are relatively heavy the weight relationship is such that the machine 10 may be readily dynamically balanced and will impart a virtually vibration free sensation to an operator. Machine 10 when actuated out of contact with a surface to be treated is designed to be in dynamic balance. When the machine is in contact with the floor being treated, a reaction force transmitted by and through the bristles in contact with a floor and to a freely rotating mass which is of relatively light weight produces an out-ofbalance condition which is relatively insignificant and not noticeable by an operator of the machine.

It is important to note that the location of the shaft end 31 within the bearing plug means 32 and within the bearing 35 permits the rotating mass to be located as close as possible to the surface being treated and virtually within the height defined by the brush ring means employed. With reference to the plane of opening 21, shaft end 31 extends therebelow, the bearing means 35 is located at the plane of said opening, and the counterweight discs on the fly wheel disc 37 lie with a portion thereabove and a greater portion therebelow but essentially in the same plane as the annular body member 55. Thus the relatively heavy metal mass of housing means 11 and motor means 12 and its center of gravity is brought into relatively close spaced vertical relation to the center of gravity of the moving parts of the machine. Since such moving parts are supported relatively close to the center of gravity of the housing and motor means and to the surface of the floor being treated it will be readily apparent that force moments or out-ofbalance conditions caused by engagement of the bristles with the floor will not be transmitted in a significant manner to the handle of the machine.

It will be readily apparent that since the parts which must be balanced or counterbalanced are of a very relatively light weight material there is a substantial reduction of weight of the counterbalance parts, namely the counterbalance discs 42. Such discs may be simply punched out washers of steel or other suitable metal. Since the weight of the stationary parts is relatively great as compared to the weight of the moving parts and since the disc 37 acts as a fly wheel to provide inertial stability to the parts directly driven by the shaft end 31, the effect of engagement of the bristles with a surface being treated will be minimized. Thus while some out-of-balance condition will exist during operation of the machine the effect of the out-of balance condition will be overcome by the relatively heavy stable mass and such condition will be insignificant and not noticeable to an operator.

It should be noted that the brush carrier means 45 provides an enclosure including a solid bottom wall 46 which covers and protects the shaft end 31, hearing means 35 and the fly wheel 37. Thus when machine is used with water which may include detergents and other cleansing solutions, these parts will remain unaffected and normally untouched by such solutions.

The smooth bottom surface 53 on bottom wall 46 which is of a suitable plastic material which has a low coefificient of friction will slide readily over a carpet when a short bristle brush means is mounted on the brush carrier means 45. Such short bristle brush means may have bristles extending only slightly below the plane of bottom surface 53 in the order of A to V, inch. When a machine embodying the present invention is used to clean carpets with such a short bristle brush the following advantages should be noted. Smooth bottom surface 53 supports the major portion of the machine weight (in the order of 75-85%), the remaining weight portion being supported by the brush bristles. Since the bristles can extend only a short distance into the pile of the carpet, and the weight is distributed as above-mentioned, resistance to starting of the orbital motion of the brush is reduced. If weight distribution were reversed, that is longer bristles supporting 7585% of the weight and more deeply embedded in the carpet, resistance to orbital rotation of the brush may be suflicient to cause the housing to move orbitally while the bristles were, in effect, locked in the carpet pile. Thus exemplary machine 10 may be readily started with less starting torque, a lower horsepower motor may be used, motor bum-out is obviat-ed, the machine 10 smoothly glides over a carpet with the brush in orbital movement, and the smooth, low friction surface 53 eliminates abraiding and tearing of the carpet and further reduces wear to a minimum.

It will be understood that on a smooth hard-surfaced floor such as linoleum, tile or the like, a longer bristled brush may be used as illustrated and that the brush bristles support the weight of the machine. In such instance, there is relatively little resistance between the floor and the bristles and starting load conditions for the machine are substantially less and different than those on a carpet.

Since the weight of the machine is relatively heavy as compared to the orbital moving parts, the machine 10 provides a very stable machine for polishing floors made of tile including plastic, rubber and asphalt material. It will be understood that the housing may be light weight and a desired weight may be added by increasing the thickness of the fly wheel 37 and at lower cost.

It may also be noted that the arcuate air vents in the top wall of the bonnet portion 16 permit passage of air downwardly therethrough past the motor means 12 and out from the housing means in the space provided between the peripheral wall 18 and the brush ring means 13. Thus adequate air cooling of the motor is provided and in addition there is a current of air which acts as a protective shield for preventing splatter of cleaning solution from being deposited within the brush carrier means 45.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications and changes may be made in the exemplary floor treating machine described above which come within the spirit of this invention and which come within the scope of the appended claims are embraced thereby.

We claim:

1. In a vertically compact orbiter-type floor treating machine having a housing means with a chamber provided with a downwardly facing opening lying in a plane, a stabilizing rotatable driving mass and an orbitally related freely rotatable mass at said opening; the combination of:

a motor means in said chamber having a driving motor shaft end projecting beyond the plane of the opening and having an axis;

means for mounting a stabilizing driving mass on said shaft end and including:

a bearing means including a bearing plug and an inner race therearound, said bearing plug having an axis spaced from the shaft axis and having eccentric connection to said shaft end,

a circular flat plate-like disc flywheel carried on and secured to the bearing plug and having an axial opening for passage therethrough of said shaft end,

counterbalance elements secured to the peripheral margin of the flywheel and having a center of gravity lying in a plane defined by the axis of the shaft end and the bearing plug;

a brush carrier and brush ring having bristles comprising the freely rotatable, orbitally related driven mass;

means for mounting said brush carrier comprising a bottom wall on the brush carrier provided with an upstanding annular boss,

a bearing cap secured to said annular boss, and

an outer bearing race carried in fixed relation by said bottom wall within said annular boss and bearing retainer cap;

said bottom wall of said brush carrier having a smooth,

planar, virtually uninterrupted bottom face for sliding contact with a surface being treated to support said machine from said surface when bristles of said 7 brushring are short and extend only a short distance below said bottom wall; said bottom wall including a light weight plastic material having a low coeflicient of friction for minimizing abrasion of the surface being treated; said brush carrier protectively covering said shaft end, bearing means, and enclosing said flywheel and counterbalance elements; and the bottom face of said bottom wall being spaced below the plane of said opening. 2. A floor treating machine as stated in claim 1 including vertically disposed, circumferentially spaced, radially outwardly directed embossments on said brush UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,908,399 5/1933 Boland et al.

2,268,015 12/1941 Broberg 15-49 2,683,336 7/1954 Scace 51170.5

2,967,315 1/1961 Helbig 1549 3,055,030 9/1962 Ardito 1549 10 3,064,292 11/1962 Fillery 1550 CHARLES A. WILLMUTH, Primary Examiner.

E. L. ROBERTS, Examiners. 

1. IN A VERTICALLY COMPACT ORBITER-TYPE FLOOR TREATING MACHINE HAVING A HOUSING MEANS WITH A CHAMBER PROVIDED WITH A DOWNWARDLY FACING OPENING LYING IN A PLANE, A STABILIZING ROTATABLE DRIVING MASS AND AN ORBITALLY RELATED FREELY ROTATABLY MASS AT SAID OPENING; THE COMBINATION OF: A MOTOR MEANS IN SAID CHAMBER HAVING A DRIVING MOTOR SHAFT END PROJECTING BEYOND THE PLANE OF THE OPENING AND HAVING AN AXIS; MEANS FOR MOUNTING A STABILIZING DRIVING MASS ON SAID SHAFT END AND INCLUDING: A BEARING MEANS INCLUDING A BEARING PLUG AND AN INNER RACE THEREAROUND, SAID BEARING PLUG HAVING AN AXIS SPACED FROM THE SHAFT AXIS AND HAVING ECCENTRIC CONNECTION TO SAID SHAFT END, A CIRCULAR FLAT PLATE-LIKE DISC FLYWHEEL CARRIED ON AND SECURED TO THE BEARING PLUG AND HAVING AN AXIAL OPENING FOR PASSAGE THERETHROUGH OF SAID SHAFT END, COUNTERBALANCE ELEMENTS SECURED TO THE PERIPHERAL MARGIN OF THE FLYWHEEL AND HAVING A CENTER OF GRAVITY LYING IN A PLANE DEFINED BY THE AXIS OF THE SHAFT END AND THE BEARING PLUG; A BRUSH CARRIER AND BRUSH RING HAVING BRISTLES COMPRISING THE FREELY ROTATABLY, ORBITALLY RELATED DRIVEN MASS; MEANS FOR MOUNTING SAID BRUSH CARRIER COMPRISING A BOTTOM WALL ON THE BRUSH CARRIER PROVIDED WITH AN UPSTANDING ANNULAR BOSS, A BEARING CAP SECURED TO SAID ANNULAR BOSS, AND AN OUTER BEARING RACE CARRIED IN FIXED RELATION BY SAID BOTTOM WALL WITHIN SAID ANNULAR BOSS AND BEARING RETAINER CAP; SAID BOTTOM WALL OF SAID BRUSH CARRIER HAVING A SMOOTH, PLANER, VIRTUALLY UNINTERRUPTED BOTTOM FACE FOR SLIDING CONTACT WITH A SURFACE BEING TREATED TO SUPPORT SAID MACHINE FROM SAID SURFACE WHEN BRISTLES OF SAID BRUSH RING ARE SHORT AND EXTEND ONLY A SHORT DISTANCE BELOW SAID BOTTOM WALL; SAID BOTTOM WALL INCLUDING A LIGHT WEIGHT PLASTIC MATERIAL HAVING A LOW COEFFICIENT OF FRICTION FOR MINIMIZING ABRASION OF THE SURFACE BEING TREATED; SAID BRUSH CARRIER PROTECTIVELY COVERING SAID SHAFT END, BEARING MEANS, AND ENCLOSING SID FLYWHEEL AND COUNTERBALANCE ELEMENTS; AND THE BOTTOM FACE OF SAID BOTTOM WALL BEING SPACED BELOW THE PLANE OF SAID OPENING. 